Good Charlotte
Good Charlotte Good Charlotte is an American punk band formed in 1996 by Benji and Joel Madden in Waldorf, Maryland. The constant members since 1998 have been Joel Madden (lead vocals), Benji Madden (back-up vocals, rhythm guitar), Billy Martin (lead guitar, keyboards), and Paul Thomas (bass). They have released four studio albums (Good Charlotte, The Young and the Hopeless, The Chronicles of Life and Death, Good Morning Revival, Cardiology) and two compilations (Greatest Remixes, Greatest Hits). Good Charlotte has somewhat of a "record" for losing drummers. In 2000, during the recording of their self-titled album, Aaron Escolopio was their drummer. He soon left to join his brother's band, Wakefield, in 2001. He was replaced with Dusty Brill for live performances. From 2002 to 2004, during the recording of the albums The Young and the Hopeless and The Chronicles of Life and Death, their drummer was Chris Wilson. He soon departed because of drug issues. In 2005, Dean Butterworth became the drummer and is now their current one. Many people may ask what "Good Charlotte" actually means. Good Charlotte got their name from a children's book by Carol Beach York, Good Charlotte: The Girls of the Good Day Orphanage. Early Years Good Charlotte's frontmen, Joel and Benji Madden, formed the band with Paul Thomas after a Beastie Boys concert in 1996. They started out in Paul's basement as a "garage band" and were eventually introduced to Billy Martin by a friend. The soon played their first gig in a neighbor's basement for an audience of 20. The brothers dedicated themselves to their music, although they had almost no money for equipment and no connections in the industry. They cut their first demo, wrote their own bio, and began mailing packages off to a list of record companies obtained from a magazine. "I wrote this letter saying, 'We're Good Charlotte and if you sign us now it will be a lot cheaper than if you wait!'," recalls Benji. "Our ignorance was kind of a blessing. We couldn't be discouraged by knowing too much about how the business really works." Benji and Joel graduated high school in June 1997, and for a graduation present the twins’ mother presented them with a pair of open airline tickets to California. "Some of our favorite bands like Green Day had started out at this East Bay club called 924 Gilman Street. So, when we graduated, that summer we made a pilgrimage to visit the club. We'd never even been on a plane before, but we have an aunt in Berkeley who let us crash with her." The brothers returned to Maryland, newly inspired and more determined than ever. They left home and moved to Annapolis, played many more shows both electric and acoustic, and worked over 30 strange and rather stupid jobs. "It was a struggling time in our lives, but it was also a great time. It's good to be hungry sometimes," Benji says. When Billy joined on second guitar, Good Charlotte was complete. The band won a local contest, and their song "Can't Go On" was included on a sampler of area talent. They attracted the interest of a manager, and Lit offered a support slot on a series of sold-out East Coast dates. "We had no money, no transportation, and no way to do the gigs. Our mom was living in like a shed on a neighbor's property, and the only thing she really owned was a mini-van. She said, 'You guys take the mini-van to play the shows and I'll catch rides or walk to work.' That just shows you how she's been there for us the whole time." "By the time we played New York with Lit, in December 1999, all the labels turned out. We signed our deal in May 2000, in the studio where we were recording, and the album Good Charlotte (EPIC) came out in September." By then, the quintet was on the road non-stop. Three months of dates with MXPX segued into the 2001 W.A.R.P. tour, then into more gigs up until Christmas Day, followed by still more gigs including a trip to Australia and New Zealand (where their debut went platinum). Through this intensive roadwork, Good Charlotte built an avid fan base—and MTV took notice, giving extensive airplay to the band’s videos for "Little Things," "The Motivation Proclamation," and "Festival Song." At this writing (August 2002), Benji and Joel began hosting MTV’s All Things Rock, which aired Monday through Thursday after 11 PM (ET). Honesty is the thread that runs through every song on The Young and The Hopeless and binds Good Charlotte to their devoted fans. "I don't think we're better than any other band," says Benji, "although I do think we're more sincere, more real, than some of them. We want to be judged for what we're really doing, not put in a genre with a bunch of other bands with which we have nothing in common." "We have a lot more to say than some of the bands we're compared with, and I hope people will hear it on this album. The kids that we were, five years ago—I just want to give those kids something to help them through the day."